Soul Connections
by Dakota Riley
Summary: After a fatefull fall, Colonel Mustang has no other options. He had to help his beloved Lieutenant. Though he has to admit... This wasn't exactly how he was expecting to. Hinted Royai.


"Remind me why we're here again." His voice sounded tired and raspy as he stomped along the old dirt road beside her.

"We were assigned to this mission." She stated, as if he didn't know that. She walked calmly. Not because she enjoyed this particular mission, but because she had always mature than the Colonel. He sighed and looked over at her. She was walking, her back straight as an arrow, her usual perceptive expression on her face, with her arms crossed over her chest. She contrasted starkly with his bent back, sloppy steps, and sweat-streaked face.

He silently cursed his ambition. Moving up the ranks as fast as he had required much more sucking up and volunteering than he liked. But it was for the good of his mission in life. Fortunately, she had been more then willing to follow his every move. Unfortunately, it meant he was often sucked into shitty missions such as this one. Apparently, the higher-ups had their suspicions that some rebel group had set up camp in some old, abandoned mining tunnels. They had been sent to check it out.

One small detail they had left out during the briefing: The terrain was dangerously unstable. They couldn't even use their cars up here. Or horses. Or, you know, anything that would have made moving easier. They were right about the dangerousness though. He couldn't count how many times he or his subordinate had stumbled over roots or began sinking into the muck. Each time, they got a new layer of dirt and mud caked onto their once-clean military uniforms.

As they walked, he began to notice the road thinning out. "Are we close?" He stopped when she paused to pull out a map. While she scanned the paper, he took a moment to move away and look over a small cliff. They were only a few feet up from the closest ledge, but it still looked high. If one were to fall, it would most likely be to their death. He suppressed a shiver and walked back to her side.

"According to this, we should be there in another mile or two. But the road ends here, so it looks like we'll have to go through the shrubbery." She frowned and folded the map back up. He heaved a sighed.

"Great. I don't think I can take much more of this, Lieutenant. You may have to carry me the rest of the way."

She looked over at him, tried to decipher whether or not he was serious, and shook her head. "I'm sorry, Sir. I don't think I'd be able to carry you." She motioned from herself to him. "You are much larger than myself."

He shrugged. "I'm sure you'd manage."

She didn't respond. Instead, they walked along in silence. It was probably better that way, he wasn't wasting his breath now. And God knows he needed it. He may have been strong, he might have been physically fit, he went through one Hell of a war, but he didn't like extended periods of walking, even if his body was okay with it.

Although he wasn't happy with it, the lack of road was forcing them to walk closer to the edge of the cliff. A few times, he stumbled and thought that he was going to tumble over the edge. But he didn't. He simply attempted to brush the dust off his knees and continued on. He looked over and noted that the Lieutenant continued to walk along, without so much as a stumble. He sighed inwardly as his clumsiness and wondered if she somehow gained the ability to float over any potential hazards. Not likely, he knew. It was still funny to think about.

While he was busy imagining her with tiny wings and radars on her boots, he didn't notice the gradual slope they began climbing. It just so happened that his particular slope was at a nearly 60-degree angle, facing the cliff. She was obviously nervous but tried her best to walk in a straight line. The thing that made him finally realize the slope was a ear-splitting screech.

He looked over quickly, but there wasn't anything in sight. Not even his Lieutenant. "Lieutenant!" He looked around frantically and spotted a skid mark in the mud, leading right over the edge. He inched closer and looked over to see her laying on a cliff lower down. At first, he thought she was unconscious. He began to panic until he saw her stir and look up at him. When she tried to sit up, the ground beneath her began to shift.

He grimaced and tried to think of something to remedy the situation. He obviously couldn't go down to get her. She obviously couldn't climb back up. She sat, paralyzed with fear. She didn't even dare look over the edge to see how far up she was. While he raked his brain for a solution, she looked up at him in terror. "Sir… It's moving again…" She said, her voice rough.

He bit his lip and looked down. "I think you'd only fall a few more feet if you fell again." He tried his best to comfort her. By the look on her face, he had failed. He watched as some earth on the edge crumbled and fell farther down. She inched away from the edge, only causing more to fall off. She squeezed her eyes shut and waited for the inevitable. He couldn't help but watch as the ground continued to crumble closer to where she sat. In only took seconds, but it felt like an eternity before the ground finally gave in beneath her and she was sent tumbling to the ground below. Luckily, it was only ten or so feet.

He sat above and watched, waiting for the dust to clear. Even then, he couldn't see anything other than her laying on the ground, covered in mud. She didn't stir this time. Again he felt that surge of panic and turned to run back down the path they had followed. In a matter of minutes, he was crouched by her side. At first, he was sure she had snapped her neck. After further inspection, he discovered her neck was intact. He released a sigh of relief. Of course, it didn't last long. There was still the obvious fact that she was unconscious, then the terrifying fact that he had no idea what was wrong with her.

The only thing he knew was that he couldn't just leave her laying there. Ignoring the possibility of a broken back, he lifted her gently into his arms. While she continued to dangle limply in his arms, he trudged through the undergrowth towards any sign of civilization.

~;~;~;~;~;~;~;~

The next day, her eyes cracked open and she blinked against the harsh light that was filtering in through the door. Her head was throbbing and her ankle felt extremely sore. Other than that, she was able to move everything without too much difficulty. After a few moments, it registered that she had no idea where she was. A quick glance around told her that she was in a small tent. There were piles of herbs on shelves, and a small bowl that was smoking slightly. The scent from within wasn't the best, but it wasn't unpleasant. The sound of voices outside made her tense up, but once she recognized one, she relaxed. A flap by the opening to the tent was pulled aside and he stepped in.

He looked down at her and smiled. "You're up!" He got down on his knees beside her and waved some smoke from the bowl out of his face. "Welcome back."

He blinked and rested her head back on the small pillow. "Thanks." She rasped, stunned at how frail she sounded. He smiled again. "Where are we?" She couldn't help but ask. She didn't like not knowing crucial things such as their location.

"A tiny little village by the base of the mountain." He said. "I had no idea where else to take you. I knew you needed a doctor but there weren't any cities around that would have a hospital. I found this place and there was a little old lady that said she'd treat you." He frowned for a moment and toyed with a branch with long, dried leaved dangling off. "Although I was doubtful her herbs and witchcraft would work, I had no other options."

She watched him and listened to his explanation in silence. When the flap was pulled back this time, it revealed a small woman, her face covered with wrinkles. Her face was dark, and her eyes were almost nonexistent behind her sagging skin and long gray - almost white - hair. She motioned for him to follow her out and he did so, leaving her alone with her thoughts. A moment later, the Colonel returned with a stupidly happy look on his face.

"Sir…?"

"I told her you were alright. She told me to watch you to make sure you can walk alright." He sounded almost as ecstatic as he looked. "She told me she wasn't surprised that you were fine though." He got down on the ground beside her again. "She told me it wasn't a surprise because I looked so strong."

She blinked and raised a brow. "You?"

"Yes." He paused and his grin turned somewhat sly. "She said that my strength helped you heal because… Because our souls are connected."


End file.
